TECHNICAL REPORT ON STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME

(SIWES)

UNDERTAKEN AT:

NATIONAL ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL

COMPANY LIMITED

(NETCO)

NNPC subsidiary

Heritage Court,

146B Ligali Ayorinde Street ,

Victoria Island, Lagos.

WRITTEN BY:

MADUABUCHUKWU GODFREY C.MATRIC NO: 20061502593

PRESENTED TO:

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY OWERRI,

NIGERIA

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

OCTOBER 2ND – JANUARY 2ND

2008.

DEDICATION

I ded ica te th is s tudent indust r ia l work scheme (SIWES) to GOD

the A lmighty who has a lways been the source o f my insp i ra t ion ,

my he lp in ages past and my hope for years to come.

I a lso ded icate th is repor t to my ever lov ing, car ing and

suppor t ive mother Mrs .Nwogu.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My apprec ia t ion a lso goes to the M.D Mr . Ph i l ips Chukwu. Who

ensured that I had my indust r ia l t ra in ing done a t Nat iona l

Eng ineer ing and techn ica l company l im i ted, a subs id iary o f

NNPC.

My gra t i tude a lso goes to the ent i re members and s ta f f o f

NETCO espec ia l ly the mechanica l team for the i r adv ice ,

c r i t i c ism, cor rec t ion , and cont r ibu t ion which enab led me to face

the var ious cha l lenges that came my way. They inc lude;

Mr . Ib rah im Sarafa(Lead) , Mr . Whi ley Ess ien, Mr . Frank Ib i

Sh i r ley , Mr . A j i , Mr . O la leye, Mr . Soboman, and Miss . B in ta .

F ina l ly , I remain gra te fu l to my f r iends, Obinna, Jude, V ic tor ,

Dav id , and Chika who in one way or the o ther cont r ibu ted to the

success o f th is work .

.

ABSTRACT

The Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is aimed at

introducing undergraduate to standard industrial practices in their respective

fields and to give them the opportunity to reconcile theoretical principles to

practical applications.

The work experience being reported was undertaken at the National Engineering

and Technical Company (NETCO) between October 2nd and January 2nd, 2008.

It is aimed at reporting the knowledge, skills acquired, and areas of participation

during my Industrial Training. It also gives a brief introduction of the company

NETCO.

During the process of the training , I was exposed to standard Engineering

design practices, Computer Aided Designing and Drafting, Rotating and Static

Engineering Fundamentals and many other relevant subjects.

Conclusively, the SIWES has positively contributed to my development as a

future Mechanical Engineer, exposed me to a better understanding of the

academic world especially in the correlation of theoretical works done in class

and their practical applications.

CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. The Siwes

The Engineering discipline is very practical in nature and mainly hinged on

experience. Hence there is a great need for any student aspiring to be a

professional engineer to have some form of work experience while studying at

school, in a reputable engineering firm related to his/her course of study.

SIWES which stands for Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme is also

popularly known as Industrial Training or Industrial Attachment. It is an important

requirement in the award of a degree in Engineering and it is actually an integral

part in the training of an Engineer.

The scheme requires that students undergo a period of attachment with an

establishment which renders services relevant to the student’s course of study.

Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is in accordance with the

federal government policy of technical education to enable students to be

exposed to the working experience in industries and to enable them to be useful

to their employers practically and not theoretically alone. In view of this, Federal

University of Technology Owerri made it a basic requirement for students in 200

Level aspiring for a Bachelor Degree.

The Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) has given students

the opportunity to gain some relevant experience before leaving the campus. The

experience gotten by the students during the SIWES program would enable them

to be fitted into the industry after graduation.

During this period, students are expected to work as industrial trainees in an

engineering firm relevant to their course of study. In addition, students are

required to give a report on their work experience when they return to the

campus after the scheme. Furthermore, the SIWES is a compulsory partial

requirement for the degree of B Eng. (Engineering)

Consequently, I had my work experience at the National Engineering and

Technical Company Limited (NETCO); a subsidiary of NNPC.

The Industrial training lasted from the 2nd June to 2nd December 2008 at NETCO,

I learnt the fundamentals of Oil and Gas engineering, PVElite, AutoCAD,

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word and some theoretical terms as regard the oil

industry. My day to day activities at NETCO were recorded in the log book.

The Industrial Training Fund (I.T.F.) is the body that co-ordinates and oversees

the SIWES program. It has various offices all over the country to monitor the

students in their various places of attachment.

1.2. Aim

The aim of the SIWES program is to expose students to the practical aspects of

their various disciplines and to enable them get a clearer picture of what is being

taught in the classrooms.

1.3. Objectives

The objectives of SIWES are:

Exposing students to equipments and facilities in the industry that their

respective universities may not have.

It helps the students to improve on his or her social skills like being

humble and obedient to his or her supervisors and also to be hard-working.

It boosts the morale and interest students have for their respective course

of study.

To make transition from school to the working environment easier and to

enhance students contact for job placements in the future.

CHAPTER TWO

2. THE COMPANY’S PROFILE

2.1. Netco’s History

National Engineering and Technical Company Limited (NETCO) is Nigeria’s

premier indigenous engineering company. It is a fully owned subsidiary of the

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) providing efficient, reliable

engineering services for the NNPC group and the entire oil and gas industry.

It was established in 1989 as a joint venture between the Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and Bechtel Incorporated U.S.A, a world

renowned engineering company as its technical partner.

Under the joint venture agreement, the NNPC maintained 60% shareholding

while Bechtel held 40%. Commercial business started in August 1990.

However, in December 1996, Bechtel exercised its options under the

shareholder’s agreement and formally pulled out of the Joint venture and

subsequently sold its equity share to the NNPC. NETCO thus became a fully

owned subsidiary of the NNPC from May 1, 1997. NETCO’s motivation, drive and

target are embedded in its vision and mission statements thus:

VISION

“To be a world class Engineering Company.”

MISSION

“To provide world class engineering services in the oil and gas industry”

QUALITY POLICY

“To satisfy and strive to exceed customer requirements through

continuous demonstration of quality and active participation of all

employees”.

With the exit of Bechtel, potential and regular clients became sceptical as

regards doing business with NETCO. In order to change the situation,

NETCO decided to retool, re-package and re-launch itself. To ascertain the

retooling, there came a decision to pursue and obtain the ISO 9001 Quality

Certification. The re-launch took place during the 1st Quarter of 1998 and it

was very successful; once again the clients became confident in NETCO

Subsequently, NETCO executed many major engineering projects amongst

which were: - The Shell’s Caw Thorne Channel Gas injection/supply Project

in consortium with Technip Geo-production of France, detailed Engineering

design of the condensate stabilization unit of the NLNG Expansion Project.

Sequel to these successes, NETCO which had been recording operational

losses while Bechtel was around, started to record profits. In May 2000,

Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI) successfully audited and

subsequently awarded NETCO the prestigious ISO 9001 Quality Certificate,

This achievement is the first award ever received by any indigenous

engineering company in Nigeria.

NETCO is managed by Nigerian engineers who have been trained locally and

abroad on live projects and in all engineering disciplines.

It is fully equipped to provide its services in all areas of the Oil & Gas industry.

Netco’s Services

NETCO’S core services are in the following:

Feasibility studies.

Conceptual design.

Basic and Detailed Engineering design.

Procurement.

Construction Supervision, and

Project Management.

Quality assurance and Quality control.

In order to create a conducive environment, NETCO has established one of the

most equipped engineering offices in Nigeria, with the latest in Engineering

Design, Procurement, Project Management, Administrative, Finance and

Accounting software packages.

The library is up-to-date with books on Engineering, Accounting, Management,

and all other disciplines relevant to its operations. It is also equipped with

Electronic Engineering Literature, Drawings and Documentation. It has Internet

connection to a worldwide web for additional engineering information and

communication.

2.2 Netco’s Organizational Structure

All of NETCO’S activities are undertaken by specific departments which can

be divided into two major categories namely:

Services

This comprises of the non-technical departments.

Operations

This comprises of the technical departments.

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic representation of the structure of NETCO.

MANAGING DIRECTOR

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OPERATIONS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORSERVICES

COMPANY SECRETARY/ LEGAL ADVISER

HEAD QA/QC

FIGURE 1: NETCO’S ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

FinancialControllerManager,

EngineeringManagerProject

ControlsManager,Projects

Head,Procurement

Training Manager

Head,Construction Manager

Admin. & Personnel

ManagerBusiness Develop-

ment

ManagerPublic Affairs

Netco’s Departments

The various departments in NETCO and their functions with respect to project

execution are:

Non-Technical Departments

Finance and Accounts

Treasury management, billings, accounting and financial management.

Administration and Personnel

Harnesses human and material resources and set out ways of utilizing them

in order to maximize profit. General admin. and personnel management.

Business Development

Sourcing for business via bids or otherwise to ensure company growth.

Public Affairs

Projecting and sustaining a favorable image for the company.

Quality Assurance/ Control

Ensures compliance with company quality standards.

Company secretariat/Legal

Providing legal insurance and board secretarial services.

Technical Department

Engineering

It is the heart of NETCO. Preparation of engineering design and studies.

Project Controls

Project planning, scheduling, cost estimating, cost engineering and

information technology.

Projects

co-ordinates the engineering activities being undertaken during any project

including arranging for site visits, liaison with the customers to inform them

about the progress of their projects. Management of all capital projects.

Procurement

Management of procurement functions for operations. Provides materials

needed by the other departments and keeps stock of what is available in the

stores at any point in time.

Construction

Management of construction activities.

Training

organizes/arranges staff development programs like on-the-job-training,

short-term courses and seminars, overseas rotational training etc to ensure

that NETCO’S personnel keeps abreast of technological advancement in

the industry. It ensures employee development.

2.3 Netco’s Experience

Since its inception, NETCO has executed more than 100 projects of varying

magnitude and cost implications. Among these projects are:

Management of the Turnaround maintenance of Nigeria’s four oil

refineries.

Detailed Engineering design of the onshore gas plant of the ESCRAVOS

gas project, Phase 1 for CHEVRON.

Conceptual design for the Caw Thorne Gas injection/supply project for

Shell.

Safety upgrade and As-Built drawing for Shell’s 34 flow stations.

Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) of an FPSO vessel for Ashland’s

Okwori project.

Pipeline surveys and implementation (NNPC pipeline phase III).

Production of As-Built drawing’s for Shell’s Bonny Export Terminal and

depots

Refinery Process Unit Rehabilitation and Revamping (NNPC refineries).

Port-Harcourt Refining Company Ltd. (PHRC) Pollution Abatement and

Control.

Detailed Engineering Design of Fractionation Unit of the NLNG Plus

Project (trains 1, 2, 3, and 5).

Conceptual design of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) water treatment

plant,

Conceptual design of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) Gas Utilization

Project.

FEED for gas supply to Nigerian LNG project train 6 for Nigerian Agip Oil

Company Limited (The NAOC Project) Which I met on ground.

CHAPTER THREE

3. PROJECT EXECUTION IN NETCO

3.1. Project Initialization

NETCO’S business starts in the Business Development department when it

receives invitations from prospective clients to submit competitive bids for

executing projects. Relevant departments meet to decide whether the decision is

worthwhile, a proposal manager is appointed to coordinate the preparation of the

bid. This usually involves most of the departments.

Finally, the Business Development department submits the proposal and follows

it up.

If the bid is successful, NETCO management appoints from various departments

a Project Manager and other personnel that will form the project team. The

Project Manager maintains a harmonious relationship with the client and ensures

that his personnel have the right facilities and a conducive working environment

to execute the project.

The Finance and Accounts department prepares invoices and collects payments

from client, this helps to maintain a positive cash flow and to ensure that funds

are available for the payment of wages and other corporate expenses.

A typical project team usually comprises mainly of personnel from the

Engineering department.

3.2. The Engineering Department

The Engineering department is the ‘engine room’ of NETCO’S operations. The

department is directly involved in the execution of jobs and on whose shoulders

the responsibility of meeting client’s specification, quality, work procedure,

standards and schedule rests.

On a typical project, each of the discipline group contributes to the success of the

project by producing deliverables. Deliverables are the documents required for a

particular project.

3.3 Functions of the Discipline Groups.

Process/Systems Group

This discipline is responsible for the translation from conception of a process

using the knowledge of conservation of mass and energy, separation techniques,

fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and process controls into a detailed plant

design phase. They are mainly made up of Chemical Engineers. Deliverables

(documents) produced by this group on a typical project includes:

Process Flow Scheme (PFS), Piping and Instrumentation Diagram.(P&ID),

ENGINEERING MANAGER

LEAD,PROCESS

LEAD,MECHANICAL

LEAD,PIPING/PIPELINE

PIPING/ PIPELINES

GROUP

LEAD,ELECRICAL

LEAD,CONTROL SYSTEMS

LEAD,CIVIL/

STRUCTURAL

PROCESS/ SYSTEMSGROUP

MECHANICALGROUP

ELECTRICALGROUP

CONTROL SYSTEMSGROUP

CIVIL/ STRUCTURAL

GROUP

SECRETARY

FIGURE 2: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Utility Flow Diagram, Equipment List, Line Designation Table (LDT), Line Sizing

Runs, Process design philosophy for the project.

Civil/Structural

This group is charged with the responsibility of providing all civil/structural

Engineering related activities in the company. These activities include:

Structural design.

Structural investigation.

Geo-technical engineering.

Water supply/ waste water management.

Integrity survey of existing facilities.

Construction supervision.

Project management.

Pipeline/Piping and Plant Layout

This group is further sub-divided into four groups namely:

Piping design group.

Materials group.

Stress analysis group.

Pipeline group.

Some of the deliverables they produce on a project are:

Piping Specification.

Drawings; plot plans, key plans, piping general arrangement studies

Datasheets; pipe support datasheet and pipe material datasheet.

Mechanical/Vessel

The activities carried out by this group are:

Selection and Specification of process equipment like:

Pumps, turbines, fired heaters, heat exchangers, air coolers, pressure

vessel

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning System (HVAC).

Electrical

Activities carried out by this group include:

Develop Design Criteria.

Formulate Power Generation and Distribution Philosophy.

Carry out load shedding/ sharing studies.

Transient and earth fault condition analysis.

Electrical Equipment sizing specification and selection.

Lighting design.

Area classification.

Single line drawing.

Electrical layout drawing.

Control Systems/ Instrumentation

Instruments are used in process plants, some of the deliverables produced by

this group are:

Instrument Index.

Instrument installation schedule.

Instrument Data sheets.

Instrument Installation details.

Instrument location diagrams.

Loop and Logic diagrams.

Interconnection diagram.

Alarm and shut-down matrix.

Material requisition.

Cable schedule.

During any particular project, the Document Control Centre (DCC) works with

the Engineering discipline groups to control receipt and dispatch of project

documents. Through the DCC, project documents are accurately tracked.

All the discipline groups produce their deliverables with the aid of computer

applications and software.

Some of the applications are:

AutoCAD, Auto PLANT

ISOGEN

HYSYS,

FLARENET

FOUNDS, FASTRUDL, STRUCAD, STAAD PRO

INTOOLS

PRIMAVERA P3

MS OFFICE PROFESSIONAL

PDMS

FINGLOW 98

PV ELITE

CHAPTER FOUR

4. AREA OF PARTICIPATION

On arrival to NETCO, I was posted to a project called the ANTAN WHP Project

(Antan Wellhead Platform Project), the project was in its conceptual stage and

we were just getting started to begin the project.

The ANTAN WHP is owned by ADDAX Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited

(APDNL) and is located in the ANTAN field (high sea) in Oron, Calabar, Cross

River, Nigeria. This project was designed to boost the oil production of ADDAX in

the field as other WHP platforms were performing below expectation. The project

is a joint venture between Netco and DORIS INC. as their mandate is to do the

Basic/ Detailed Engineering Design and if carried out successfully, NETCO will

be given the task of procurement of engineering materials and construction

supervision.

The location of these platform is in a hazardous area 2 i.e., it is unmanned.

The role of the platform is to; collect the gas or the oil from the individual wells on

the seabed, test each manifold to determine its performance and operating

conditions and principally to transfer the product to a Floating Production Storage

and Offloading Vessel (FPSO).The design life of the equipments on the platform

is 20 years.

4.1 Role of Mechanical Engineers on The Project

The Mechanical Engineer will be given engineering based assignment. These will

include confirmation, preparation and review of documents. The Mechanical

Engineer shall carry out the following:

Prepare project documents.

Prepare Mechanical Engineering documents plus associated data sheets.

Carry out Mechanical calculations.

Prepare and update master equipment list.

Carry out Mechanical studies.

Carry our site verification, review and evaluation.

Ensure consistency of Mechanical designs.

The following are the softwares to be used to accomplish these tasks:

AutoCAD 2004

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PVElite

CHAPTER FIVE

5. KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED AS SIWES

5.1. Pigging

Pigging in the maintenance of pipelines refers to the practice of using pipeline

inspection gauges or 'pigs' to perform various operations on a pipeline without

stopping the flow of the product in the pipeline. Pigs get their name from the

squealing sound they make while traveling through a pipeline and it means

‘Pipeline Integrity Gadget’ (PIG). Their operations include but are not limited to

cleaning and inspection of the pipeline. This is accomplished by inserting the pig

into a 'pig launcher' - a funnel shaped Y section in the pipeline. The launcher is

then closed and the pressure of the product in the pipeline is used to push it

along down the pipe until it reaches the receiving trap - the 'pig catcher'.

If the pipeline contains butterfly valves, the pipeline cannot be pigged. Ball valves

cause no problems because the diameter of the ball is always the same as that

of the pipe.

Pigging has been used for many years to clean larger diameter pipelines in the

oil industry. Today, however, the use of smaller diameter pigging systems is now

increasing in many continuous and batch process plants as plant operators

search for increased efficiencies.

Pigging can be used for almost any section of the transfer process between, for

example, blending, storage or filling systems. Pigging systems are already

installed in industries handling products as diverse as lubricating oils, paints,

chemicals, toiletries, and foodstuffs.

Pigs are used in lube oil or painting blending: they are used to clean the pipes to

avoid cross-contamination, and to empty the pipes into the product tanks (or

sometimes to send a component back to its tank). Usually pigging is done at the

beginning and at the end of each batch, but sometimes it is done in the midst of a

batch, e.g. when producing a premix that will be used as an intermediate

component.

Pigs are also used in oil and gas pipelines: they are used to clean the pipes but

also there are "smart pigs" used to measure things like pipe thickness along the

pipeline. They usually do not interrupt production, though some product can be

lost when the pig is extracted. They can also be used to separate different

products in a multiproduct pipeline.

Pigging in Production Environments

Product and time saving

A major advantage of piggable systems is the resulting product savings. At the

end of each product transfer, it is possible to clear out the entire line contents

with the pig, either forward towards the receipt point, or backwards to the source

tank. There is no requirement for extensive line flushing.

Without the need for line flushing, pigging offers the additional advantage of a

much more rapid and reliable product changeover. Product sampling at the

receipt point becomes faster because the interface between products is very

clear, and the old method of checking at intervals, until the product is on-

specification, is considerably shortened.

Pigging Systems can also be operated totally by a Programmable Logic

Controller (PLC).

Environmental issues

Pigging has a significant role to play in reducing the environmental impact of

batch operations. Traditionally, the only way that an operator of a batch process

could ensure a product was completely cleared from a line was to flush the line

with a cleaning agent such as water or a solvent or even the next product. This

cleaning agent then had to be subjected to effluent treatment or solvent recovery.

If Product was used to clear the line, the contaminated finished product was

downgraded or dumped. All of these problems can now be eliminated due to the

very precise interface produced by modern pigging systems.

Safety Considerations

Early pigging systems were designed as "One way" open systems which had the

disadvantage that the pig had to be removed from the pipeline at the end of each

run. This in turn led to problems with both safety and process interruption since

the pipeline had to be opened at the pig receiving end and the pig removed and

replaced at the other end of the pipe. Many users found that this operation was

not only dirty and time consuming, but also carried inherent dangers because of

the need to open the pipeline to atmosphere at each stage.

Modern pigging systems, however, now operate with a "captive pig", and the

pipeline is only opened up very occasionally to check the condition of the Pig. At

all other times, the pig is shuttled up and down the pipeline at the end of each

transfer, and the pipeline itself is never opened up during process operation.

Intelligent Pigging

Modern pigging systems are highly sophisticated sets of equipment that consist

of a standard 5-6 finned pig with an intelligent transmitter that has a global

positioning system fixed on it to tell the exact location of the pig inside the

pipeline while it is on the move. Along with the GPS positioner there are a host of

other instruments like the internal camera that takes live video of the pipe

condition inside while the pig is moving, the thickness gauge that constantly

measures the thickness of the wall of the pipe as the pig moves.

As the pig moves inside the pipe data like the speed of the pig, flow, rate of fluid

inside etc is measured at regular intervals. So by the time the pigging process is

over the complete set of data for all the measurable parameters is ready outside.

5.2 Storage Tanks

Product Storage Tanks are the most conspicuous sight in the Petroleum Refinery

and Chemical Plants, and usually take up a reasonable portion of the plant area.

These tanks are mostly large cylindrical structures, ranging up to 45m in height

and 90m or more in diameter. They are mainly operated at atmospheric or low

pressure and ambient temperature or above. In some cases, Liquids are stored

in the tanks at temperatures as low as - 50 degree Celsius or below, and this

type of storage is referred to as cryogenic storage.

In the construction of Product Storage Tanks, because of the large size involved,

the Tanks are mostly built at site on previously prepared foundations, with some

fitted with heating apparatus. The purpose of the heating apparatus is to prevent

stored liquids such as waxy crude oil; caustic soda; Heavy fuel oil; pitch or

sulphur; etc from turning solid or thickening, by continuous heating of the tanks to

specified temperatures.

Product Storage Tanks are usually designed to International Standard, API 650.

Tank Selection

Product storage tanks are usually built in two styles, namely:

Floating Roof Tanks:

The Roof floats on top the liquid, rising and falling with the liquid level

Cone Roof Tank:

The Roof in the form of a cone is permanently fixed to the top of the tank shell

In Tank selection for liquid storage, the vapour pressure of the liquid to be stored

determines the style of tank to be used, while the soil conditions and cost of land

determines the tank dimensions.

For the storage of liquid with vapour pressure of between 0.75 psi (78mmHg) and

11.5 psi (572mmHg) at ambient temperature (volatile liquids such as gasoline

(petrol), the tank style to be selected shall be the Floating Roof Tank type. It

reduces evaporation loss by reducing vapour space, greatly increases safety

from fire and minimizes air pollution.

For Lower vapour pressure products such as Kerosene, the tank style to be

selected shall be Fixed Roof Tank type. For higher vapour pressure products,

Pressure Vessels such as spheres or bullets shall be used.

For poor soil, tanks with low shell height, and larger diameters are usually more

economical than high shell tanks with smaller diameters. The reason being that

the larger the shell, the greater the head pressure on the soil. If the head

pressure becomes greater than the soil allowable bearing pressure, pile

supported foundations will be necessary, which is expensive.

Tank Materials

Metallic Materials

Tank materials for hydrocarbon services are divided into three basic types:

a) Intermediate strength steel, such as

A285 grade C for general service

A516 for atmospheric and low temperature.

A515 for intermediate and higher temperature service.

b) Higher yield strength steels for larger and taller tanks, so as to keep shell

thickness to minimum.

c) Low temperature steel for pressure containing tanks

A537

Water Tanks are usually low-grade steel (A283-C).

Non-Metallic Materials

Older non-metallic tanks were customarily constructed from wood. Plastic

materials have now replaced wood, and they have the advantage of being non-

corroding, durable, low cost, and light weight.

Plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, and

fibreglass-reinforced polyesters (FRP) are the commonly used non-metallic

materials for tank construction. The temperature limits of plastic tanks are 5

degree Celsius to 65 degree Celsius and colour must be added to the outer liner

for protection against Ultraviolet radiation. While the inner liner must be

compatible with the chemical or product stored.

Protective Catalyst

Internal:

Internal coatings are used primarily to protect the inside of the tank against

corrosion, while also protecting the stored contents from contamination.

Many types of internal coatings are available; however, only few are described

below.

Coal Tar: This is among the oldest and most reliable coatings. Extremely

low permeability; protect surfaces by mechanical exclusions of moisture and

air, extremely water-resistant; good resistance to weak mineral acids,

alkalis, salts, brine solutions, and other aggressive chemicals.

Epoxy Resin Coating: This has excellent adhesive, toughness, abrasion

resistance, flexibility, durability, and good chemical and moisture resistance.

It is used for lining of some crude tanks, floating roof tanks, drilling mud

tanks, sour water, treated water and pipelines.

Rubber Lining: It is used as internal lining for storage tanks which are

subjected to severe service such as elevated temperatures or for protection

for extremely corrosive contents, such as concentrated chlorides and

various acids such as chronic, sulphuric, hydrochloric, and phosphoric.

Galvanized: The use of zinc coating, which is highly resistant to most

types of corrosion, and recommended where oil produced contains sulphur

compounds and (or is associated with hydrogen sulphide gas).

External:

The basic requirements for external coatings are appearance and weather

protections. The coating used is mainly primer, ranging from one-coat primers to

primers with one or more topcoats.

Insulation

Product storage tanks are insulated mainly for personnel protection, process

temperature control, prevention of condensation, and conservation of energy.

The four basic types of thermal insulating materials used are;

a) FIBROUS

b) CELLULAR

c) GRANULAR

d) REFLECTIVE

Personnel Protection

This is accomplished by the application of insulation of insulation of proper

thickness, which limits the surface temperature to 150 degree Fahrenheit or as

specified by applicable codes or company standards.

Condensation

Moisture condensation on a cool surface in contact with warmer humid air must

be prevented because of the deterioration of the insulation. Thus, the insulation

thickness must be sufficient to keep the outside surface of the insulation above

the dew point of the surrounding air, which is accomplished by a vapour tight

membrane properly applied to the insulation as a rule. The insulation thickness

for condensation control is much than that for conservation of energy.

Conservation of energy

Higher heat loss results in high fuel cost. This is to reduce the heat loss from the

surface to 3 to 5 percent or less. The insulating thickness should be properly

determined. This can be better done with the assistance of the manufacturer, and

the method used is based on elementary heat transfer theory and reliable

experimental data.

Storage Tanks Spillage Containments:

In the Refinery and Gas Plant Facilities, most storage systems consist of a Tank

surrounded by a traditional low Bundwall. The Bundwall in the event of tank

failure (that results in the release of liquid to the environment, that may lead to a

possible major health hazard), retain the released liquid within the confined area

for proper recollection / disposal.

5.3 Centrifugal Pumps

Principle of Operation

A pump converts mechanical energy into pressure in a flowing liquid. A

centrifugal pump does this by centrifugal action, in two steps.

(1) A centrifugal pump has two major components: the internal impeller and the

outer casing. The liquid enters the suction of the pump at A. It then flows to B

and outward through the channels of the impeller marked C. As the liquid flows

outward in the impeller, the impeller imparts a very high spinning or tangential

velocity to the liquid.

(2) The liquid then enters the volute of the pump, area D. Here the velocity

energy is converted to pressure.

CENTRIFUGAL PUMPFIGURE 1

Head Produced By a Centrifugal PumpHead is the term used to describe the energy imparted to the liquid. The units of

head are foot-pounds (ft-lb) of force per pound of mass.

Head ft-lb = v²

lb =2g

V = Velocity of Impeller tip, ft/sec

g = gravitational constant, 32.2 ft/sec²

Note that the important velocity is the tangential velocity at the tip of the impeller.

This velocity is proportional to the diameter of the impeller and the rotational

speed. Therefore, the equation for the head can be written in term of pump

characteristics as follows:

Head (ft) = DN²

1840

D = Impeller diameter, inches

N = Pump speed, rpm

The precise units of head are ft-lb (force) per lb (mass). However, it is

conventional practice to cancel the lb units and to speak of head in terms of feet.

The pressure differential produced by a pump is equivalent to a column of the

pumped liquid, where the height of the column is equal to the head produced by

the pump. See Figure 2.

Application of Centrifugal Pumps

Centrifugal pumps are the most commonly used type in the process industries.

They are the first choice because have very few moving parts, are simple to

maintain, and are available for a wide range of flow rates and differential

pressures.

There are a few exceptions where other types of pumps are more appropriate.

These are services with a very high differential pressure, above about 2000 psi;

very high viscosity, above 500cSt; or very low flow rates, below 10 gpm.

However, in most industries, more than 90% of the pump applications will be

covered by centrifugal pumps.

Mechanical Components

Figure 3 illustrates the major components of a centrifugal pump. This is a

diagram of a horizontal single-stage, overhung pump, the most common type.

Horizontal refers to the orientation of the shaft; single-stage means there is one

impeller. Overhung means that the impeller is outside of the two supporting

bearings, not between the bearings.

The shaft runs through the center of the pump and holds the impeller at the left

end. The driver motor is connected to the right end of the shaft through a flexible

coupling. The liquid enters the suction nozzle, passes through the enclosed

sections of the spinning impeller, and exits through the discharge nozzle at the

top of the pump. The right end of the pump is the bearing housing. This housing

contains two sets of ball bearings that support the weight of the shaft. They also

absorb the axial thrust on the shaft.

The casing contains the liquid under pressure. A seal is required where the

rotating shaft enters the casing. This area is call the stuffing box and may contain

rings of packing material. However, most modern pumps have mechanical seals.

Sealing the shaft is very important to prevent leakage of the pumped fluid, which

is frequently hazardous, flammable, or toxic. Therefore, careful attention must be

paid to design, installation, and maintenance of the seals. Many different types

of seals are available for different process conditions.

Heat is generated by friction in seal area of the shaft, and sometimes cooling is

required. A channel called the flushing connection is available for this purpose.

The amount of head that can be generated by a single impeller is limited to a

maximum value. If more head is required, pump designs incorporate two or

more impellers. These may be arranged in a horizontal multistage configuration

or a vertical multistage configuration. These configurations are described later.

Impellers may be open, semi-closed, or closed. These are shown in Figure 4. In

the petroleum and gas process plants, most impellers are closed type. Closed

impellers can generate higher heads at greater efficiencies. Open and semi-

closed impellers are used for liquids that contain solids. They will not clog as

easily as closed impellers.

Basic Types of Impellers

FIGURE 4

Head vs. Flow Characteristic

The process performance of a centrifugal pump is described by a curve called

the head versus flow characteristic. See Figure 5. Centrifugal pumps are

constant-head devices. This means that they provide a nearly constant head, or

pressure differential, even though the flow rate changes. As Figure 5 shows, the

head produced by the pump does increase somewhat as the flow rate decreases

from the design point. Conversely, the head decreases at flow rates above the

design point. However, over normal operating range of the pump, the head is

relatively constant or, as we say, the curve is relatively flat. Normally, the head

developed at zero flow is no more than 110 to 120% of the head at the design

point. This is called the shutoff point, or shutoff head.

Head Vs Flow Characteristic

Figure 5

Note that shutoff means that the flow is shut, for example by closing a valve at

the discharge of the pump. The pump itself continues to rotate and develop

differential pressure. However, a pump should not be operated this way except

for a short period. After a minute or two, the pump will overheat and damage will

occur.

System Resistance

The discussion has centered on the head produced by an operating pump.

Another important concept is system resistance. This is the head required to

move liquid from one point in the process to another.

The total head (or differential pressure) required for a circuit can be divided into

three components: (See Fig. 6, 7 and 8).

Static pressure differential : The difference in pressure between the two

vessels, P2 - P1.

Elevation differential , the head required to lift the liquid from its initial to its

final elevation.

Friction resistance in the flowing system.

Figure 9 shows a typical pump circuit. This circuit contains all three components

of system resistance.

The magnitudes of the three components are illustrated in the lower half of

Figure 9. Notice that pressure differential and elevation are constant values,

independent of the flow rate through the circuit. However, the dynamic friction

resistance depends on the flow. The dynamic friction resistance is proportional

to the square of the flow rate. Thus, at a zero flow rate, the friction resistance is

equal to zero, but its rises exponentially as the flow rate increases.

To understand the dynamics of a pumped circuit, it is sometimes useful to plot

the pump curve and the system curve together. This has been done in Figure

10. The head can be expressed either as feet of fluid or differential pressure

(psi), as long as the units are consistent. At a zero flow rate, the head produced

by the pump is much greater than the head required to overcome the system

resistance. However, as the flow rate increases, the head required increases. At

the same time, the head produced by the pump decreases somewhat. At the

design flow rate, the head produced by the pump is still larger than the head

required. The difference, or excess delta P, is taken up by a control valve.

The curve shows that if the flow rate is increased beyond the design value, the

pressure drop available for the control becomes smaller and smaller. When the

curves meet, the pressure drop available is zero, and the flow rate cannot

increase further.

Conversely, if the flow rate is controlled at a value below design, the control valve

will take a larger pressure drop.

Cavitation

Cavitation occurs when the

NPSH available is less than

that required. The liquid flows

into the pump suction flange

and decreases in pressure due

to friction losses. If pressure is

less than the liquid vapour

pressure, then small bubbles

of vapor form in the suction

passages. As soon as these bubbles reach a higher pressure, they can re-

condense and collapse so quickly that a violent force is imposed on the impeller.

This makes a distinctive noise that sound like the rattling of stones in the pump.

If Cavitation continues, pitting of the impeller can occur. The damage can be

severe.

Cavitation damage is most likely with single-component liquids such as water.

Single-component liquids tend to re-condense very suddenly. Multi-component

liquids re-condense more gradually and therefore cause less damage. However,

even with multi-component liquids, the presence of vapor in the impeller can

decrease the head or flow capacity.

Dissolved Gases

In addition to vaporization of major component of the pumped liquid, dissolved

gases can also vaporize, for example, air in water or nitrogen in hydrocarbons.

As the pressure drops in the suction passages, small bubbles of dissolved gas

can form. However, these gases do not condense and collapse suddenly. They

re-dissolved quite slowly. Because sudden collapse does not occur, the impeller

damage does not occur. Furthermore, since the amount of gas released is small,

the head produced by the pump is usually not affected significantly. Therefore,

when you calculate the vapor pressure of a liquid to be pumped, you can usually

ignore these dissolved components such as air, nitrogen, and hydrogen.

Impeller Diameter Changes

Occasionally, a plant engineer will be called upon specify a change in the

diameter of the impeller of an operating pump. The change may be required to

increase the head available, either to expand the capacity of a plant or to use a

pump in a new service.

Sometimes, the impeller diameter is reduced in order to decrease the head. This

may be done to reduce the power consumption, to avoid overloading the motor,

or to reduce the maximum discharge pressure, to avoid over-pressuring

downstream equipment.

Types of Centrifugal Pumps

Horizontal-Single Stage

The most common type

Used for moderate head, <500ft

End suction top discharge

Vertical In-Line

Supported by piping or small foundation

Motor is supported by pump; piping

forces do not affect alignment

Lower cost, simpler maintenance

Slightly higher NPSHR than horizontal

pump

Horizontal Multistage

Up to 8 impellers for higher head

Vertical Can

Used when low NPSHR is needed

Vertical-Submerged Suction

Like vertical can type, without the can

Used in sumps or shallow wells

5.0 SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE AQUIRED AS A SIWES

As a student under the SIWES at NETCO, I was exposed to piping

engineering fundamentals, and standard Engineering design practices. I was

also trained on Computer Aided piping Engineering, and many other

relevant subjects. The projects executed at NETCO ensured that Engineers

worked in teams; hence, I acquired the ability to be a good team player.

5.1 TRAINING RECEIVED: - (Knowledge Acquired).

The formal training received at NETCO was mainly on Computer Aided

Piping Engineering and they are: -

AutoCAD Training,

Piping Engineering Fundamentals training which included: -

Introduction to Plant design and modeling software; PDMS

Process Flow Diagram (PFD) development,

Data sheet preparation,

AUTOCAD SOFTWARE

This is a computer aided design (cad) program used by just about every

engineering and design office in the world. Although there are alternative

CAD packages, AUTOCAD is by far the most widely used system. There

have been several versions of AUTOCAD over the years with each new

version introducing new and more powerful features than its predecessor.

The latest version of AUTOCAD is AUTOCAD 2008. Accurate scale

drawing can be created and published using AutoCAD’s powerful feature.

It is specifically used by piping engineers to draw piping arrangements such

as pipe racks and piping instrumentation diagram (P & ID’s). Figure 3 below

is an example of a simple P & ID.

Figure 3

The AutoCAD design package is general-purpose software, the speed and

ease at which a drawing can be prepared and modified using a computer

offers a phenomenal advantage over hand preparation. If a drawing can be

prepared by hand, it can be prepared using this software. AutoCAD provides

a set of entities used in constructing a drawing, entities such as a line, circle,

arc, etc. The effect of every change appears immediately, thus enabling the

designer to take immediate decisions concerning size and taste of the design.

In AUTOCAD, it is mandatory to create a working space before the

commencement of any drawing and ensuring that the work is saved before

closure of the window. Work on drawing is always done on a layer; it may

be the default layer or a layer created by the user. Each layer has an

associated colour and line type. If a certain layer is switched off then the

object on that layer are no more visible. A layer for each conceptual

grouping may be created and named colours, line-types may be assigned to

those layers. In organizing a layer scheme, layer names should be carefully

chosen. When a drawing is started, AUTOCAD creates a special layer

named zero. By default, the layer is assigned the colour number seven and

the continuous line-type. Layer 0 cannot be deleted. Each new layer is

numbered sequentially. Each layer can be renamed. The use of layers and

colours make the drawing visible.

Other AutoCAD functions allow modifications of the drawing in a variety of

ways e.g. erasing or moving object, copying , trimming, inserting break,

exploding, stretching, scaling, extending, rotating, offsetting, mirroring and

adding an attribute to a drawing.

The importance of this software can be more appreciated in that it saves time

and cost in the production of drawings by providing the engineer with tools

to work with, thus ensuring a more professional and accurate output.

5.1.2 MICROSOFT EXCEL

Microsoft excel is a very sophisticated electronic spread sheet. A

spreadsheet is made up of columns, rows that allow you to look at numeric

data in various ways to enhance the meaning of the numbers. Excel allows

you to modify the appearance of a worksheet by adding borders, shading or

patterns to various cells (areas), along with various other formatting features

to assist in getting your message across. Excel provides three principal types

of modeling tools: worksheets, charts and databases. Worksheets store

numeric data along with the related calculations involving that data, and the

descriptive text to explain the numbers. Charts graphically represent the data

contained in a worksheet. Databases are electronic filling systems through

which information can be sorted, extracted and manipulated according to

specific needs.

Microsoft Excel is extensively used in all the fields of engineering, the

basic uses of excel in piping engineering are as follows:

Entering text and numbers.

Formatting text and performing mathematical calculations.

Creating charts.

5.1.2.1 ENTERING TEXT AND NUMBERS: This involves moving

around the excel sheet, selecting cells, entering data, editing cell, changing a

cell entry, deleting a cell entry.

5.1.2.2 FORMATTING TEXT AND PERFORMING MATHEMATICAL

CALCULATION: This involves choosing a default font, cell alignment,

changing a single column width, moving to a new worksheet, automatic

calculation, cell addressing, deleting rows, deleting columns, merging

cells ,creating borders, reference operators, typing functions, calculating

average, calculating minimum, calculating maximum, etc.

5.1.2.3 CREATING CHARTS: This involves the creation of column

charts, changing of the size of the chart, changing of the positions of the

chart, and modification the chart. It can also be used in plotting an x-y graph,

histogram and bar chart.

5.2 SKILLS ACQUIRED

By virtue of the knowledge received and exposure, the following skills were

acquired from the SIWES workplace (i.e. NETCO);

Considerable proficiency in the use of AutoCAD. Figure 4 shows a

designed flare gas scrubber drafted by me using AutoCAD, while

figure5 shows the pipe support bases and figure 6 shows a piping GA

and its end views, figure 7 shows a pipe rack.

Ability to work efficiently in a team, and to communicate effectively

with others.

Good work ethics.

CHAPTER SIX

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

6.1 CONCLUSION

The SIWES (Industrial Training) being reported was undertaken at the

National Engineering and Technical Company Limited (NETCO) from June

2nd to December 2nd 2008.

The SIWES has positively contributed to my development as a future

Mechanical Engineer. At my SIWES workplace (i.e. NETCO), I was able to

reconcile the theoretical principles learnt in school with real Mechanical

engineering design practice. I also learnt various software applications

relating to my discipline such as AutoCAD, MS Excel, MS Office, etc.

Furthermore, I received introductory training on AutoCAD, Datasheet

preparation, etc. SIWES gave me the opportunity to learn about work ethics,

good interpersonal and communication skills. I also learnt principles not

directly related to my discipline such as financial and time management

because once a schedule is set, it has to be met.

6.2 RECOMMENDATION

With the aims behind the introduction of this scheme, it is rather imperative

that everything should be done in order to achieve the noble objectives of the

scheme.

Therefore it is recommended that;

SIWES workplaces should be adequately informed on the benefits of

the SIWES by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) officials.

The Government should make it compulsory for Organizations and

Companies (prospective SIWES workplaces) to contribute in the

training of the SIWES by employing students for the scheme.

The Institution supervisors should be adequately funded so that they

can visit students in their respective SIWES workplaces.

REFERENCES

1. Carl Branam, (1999) Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers, 3rd

edition, Houston Texas, Gulf Publishing Company, Pp 1-38.

2. Robert, M.T (1989) AutoCAD Desktop Companion, Sybex/Tech

Asian Editions, Singapore, Tech Publication, Pp 5-7.

3. Engineering Data Book, (1998), Vol. I & II eleventh Edition, Tulsa

Oklahoma, Published by Gas Processors Suppliers Association,

Section 1 - 26.

4. Lieberman, N. P. and Lieberman, E. T. (2003) Working Guide to

Process Equipment, 2nd Edition, New York, Mc Graw Hill

Publication, Pp 408 - 414.

5. Ken, A. and Maurice, S. (1988) Surface Productions, Vol. I, Second

Edition, Houston Texas, Gulf Publishing Company, Pp 1- 100

6. Specification for Oil and Gas Separators, API Specification 12J

(SREC 12J) (1989) 7th Edition, American Petroleum Institute,

Production Department, C - 10 to C - 12.

APPENDIX

SPDC LEGEND SHEET EGGS II

EGG2-DW-PR-002-A4 Process Engineering Flow

Scheme.

EGG2-DW-PR-0003-A4 Process Engineering Flow

Scheme-Gbaran Pig launcher.

EGG2-DW-PR-0004-A4 Process Engineering Flow

Scheme-Soku Pig Receiver.

EGG2-DW-PR-0005-A4 Process Engineering Flow

Scheme-EGGS2 Pressure

Protection Station (Soku).